Kelantan MB Nik Aziz's son freed
Malaysiakini
Oct  18, 2006
Beh Lih Yi

Kelantan Menteri Besar and PAS spiritual adviser Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat's son Nik Adli - who has been held under the notorious Internal Security Act for five years - was released today ahead of the Hari Raya Aidil Fitri celebrations.

The Abolish ISA Movement said six others - including five alleged members of the so-called Kumpulan Militan Malaysia (KMM) members and one alleged Jemaah Islamiah member - were also freed.

The KMM was accused of planning to overthrow the government, and some members were alleged to have served with militant movements in Afghanistan, but no evidence has been presented in court.

Ten other detainees - all alleged members of JI, which is said to be linked to al-Qaeda terrorist group - are still being held at the police remand centre at federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur. They are also expected to be released soon.

Nik Adli (left) and his five KMM colleagues walked out of the remand centre this morning.

Nik Adli's wife Sles Monira told malaysiakini that Nik Adli was brought to the Kota Bahru police station at about 5.15pm.

"We are waiting for him now at our house. His father is also here," she said.

With the release of the six KMM men today, there are no other KMM detainees held under ISA in Kamunting. However, there are still 80 other detainees being held without trial for various reasons there.

Speculations of release

Earlier today, Deputy Internal Security Minister Fu Ah Kiow told malaysiakini that a few detainees would be freed.

“I know some detainees are to be released, but I am not sure of the exact number,” Fu told malaysiakini.

He added that the decision to release detainees falls under the jurisdiction of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in his capacity as internal security minister.

He said that the detainees are likely to be released before Hari Raya, which falls on Tuesday next week.

Speculation over the impending release of two batches of ISA detainees has spread since early this week after it was claimed they have been taken to the police remand centre.

The first group of 11 detainees, detained over alleged connections with the al-Qaeda linked-regional terror network Jemaah Islamiah, were said to have been taken out of the Kamunting detention camp in Taiping, Perak, last Saturday.

The other six KMM member - including Nik Adli - were said to have been sent to the centre on Monday.

Anticipation that all these 17 men will be freed soon was partly based on information that they are now at the police remand centre, where a ‘pre-release rehabilitation course’ is usually conducted. It encompasses do’s and don’ts upon release.

The majority of the detainees have been held for more than four years, while some have completed their fifth year in detention. Nik Adli has been held since August 2001. 

The internal security minister is empowered to sign the detention or release order of an ISA detainee. The detention order is renewable on a two-year basis.

‘Inform everyone’

It is understood that the detainees were asked to pack their belongings and undergo a medical check-up at the Kamunting camp prior to being sent to Kuala Lumpur.

Latheefa Koya, their lawyer, said the government should make it clear whether or not the detainees are going to be released.

When contacted, she said there is usually much hope over the detainees’ release before Hari Raya each year.

“The government can’t use the release as a PR (public relations) tactic to show they are sympathetic during Hari Raya. Don’t release them like they are releasing pigeons,” she said.

“Every Hari Raya, it raises hopes of the detainees’ children to very high level, but this is then dashed, leaving the children depressed. The government should state whether it is releasing the detainees.”

Latheefa is also a lawyer for anti-ISA lobbyists, the Abolish ISA Movement (AIM).

She said AIM has planned a protest on Friday afternoon at Bukit Aman to step up pressure for detainees to be freed. A similar demonstration was held last Friday at the National Mosque near Bukit Aman. 

Latheefa reiterated that release of the detainees is long overdue. She said that prior to today's release, of some 90 being held under ISA, about 60 have spent more than four years in detention, while 10 have been held for more than five years.

The ISA, enacted in 1960 to contain the communist insurgency, later earned notoriety when it was used to clamp down on political dissent.

The government-backed Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) had called for the Act to be repealed and replaced with a clearer security law.

Minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, in his capacity as the parliamentary human rights caucus chief has previously said ISA detainees who have been held for more than two years should be released immediately or be charged in court.